Midfielder makes temporary move to south coast Championship club

Aston Villa midfielder Gary Gardner has joined Brighton and Hove Albion on loan until January.

The 22-year-old passed a medical on Monday night and is available for his new side’s Capital One Cup match with Swindon Town on Tuesday.

In pre-season Gardner featured heavily for the claret and blues but he has not made the first two match-day squads in the Premier League.

Injuries have been cruel to him in recent years but he will now have four months of Championship football to prove his worth.

Brighton manager Sami Hyypia said: “Gary is a quality midfielder who we have been aware of for some time.

"When we knew he was available, we wanted to bring him here as he will give us another quality option in the middle of the park.

“There are areas of the squad where we would like more options, and midfield was one of those areas.

"We have Dale Stephens out injured, but more importantly, given the considerable demands of the Championship, I want to be able to rotate the squad.

“Gary has had a tough couple of seasons due to injury, but he showed during a spell with Sheffield Wednesday last season that he is over those problems. We hope this loan spell will benefit everyone: Gary, us and Aston Villa.

“He is the type of midfielder who is active and mobile, but very importantly he has real quality on the ball – and is also capable of producing things from set pieces.”